The B-52's: Good Stuff : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

When producers Nile Rodgers and Don Was lent their wizardry to the B-52's' Cosmic Thing (1989), it provided a much-needed shot in the arm. The reason early B-52's songs like "Rock Lobster" and "Private Idaho" have been party staples for more than ten years is that aside from being camp classics, they're great pop singles, as irresistibly buoyant as they are zany and smart. As the Eighties progressed, though, the group began showing signs of self-consciousness. With Rodgers and Was on board, the band's underexploited pop sensibility came to its most complete – and successful – fruition.

For Good Stuff, the B's have once again divided tracks between these two producers, and as before, the result is impressively seamless. The funky title track might seem to be the work of Rodgers, and the more lyrical "Revolution Earth" of Was; the reverse happens to be true. Sonic highlights include the shimmering hip-hop of Rodgers's "Dreamland" and Was's "Bad Influence," with its piercing guitars and throbbing bass.

The group itself is now without either of its founding members. Having lost guitarist Ricky Wilson to AIDS in 1985 – original drummer Keith Strickland continues as his replacement, while supporting musicians provide bass, percussion and various embellishments – the B-52's are presently faced with the temporary absence of Wilson's sister Cindy, who along with Kate Pierson delivered the harmonies that have been among the band's strongest assets. Fortunately, Pierson's richly textured vocals hold up just fine on their own; harmonic lines are simply overdubbed when necessary, as on the sinuous "Breezin'" and the lovely chorus of "Revolution Earth."

Fred Schneider's hyper-animated gabbing serves as a foil to the singing, and as usual this approach works best with goofier sentiments. Schneider is a hoot hollering, "You burned a hole in my mind/When I saw your cute behind," on "Hot Pants Explosion," but thankfully, he leaves the pleas for peace on "Breezin'" to Pierson – he should have done the same on "Bad Influence." Even at his most buffoonish, though, Schneider is somehow endearing – an embodiment of the humor and heart that have allowed the B-52's to transcend novelty status.